President Rodrigo Duterte did not violate any law by allowing himself to receive a brand of vaccine against coronavirus disease that has not been given emergency use authority by the local Food and Drug Administration, Malacanang said on Tuesday.

In a televised press briefing, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said the Sinopharm vaccine that was inoculated to Duterte was covered by the "compassionate use" permit issued by the FDA.

"So as far as the President is concerned, he did not violate any laws because precisely it was administered by the PSG (Presidential Security Group) Hospital although physically administered by the Health Secretary (Francisco Duque III) himself," he said.

He said the first jab given to Duterte on Monday was part of the 1,000 doses of Sinopharm vaccine that China donated to the Philippines.

The FDA has not granted EUA to Sinopharm as the two companies which have been applying for the emergency use have not complied with the requirements yet.

Roque said Duterte's use of Sinopharm was guided also by his doctors.

"And I can only surmise that it's (Sinopharm) platform, the platform is inactivated vaccine because this has been in use for the past 140 years at least," Roque said.

National Task Force Against COVID-19 Chief Implementer and Vaccine Czar Carlito Galvez Jr., in the same press briefing, said that Sinopharm, like Sinovac, another brand of Chinese vaccine, has almost "co-equal" safety and efficacy. FDA has already given Sinovac an EUA.

Galvez also said that the leaders in China and Middle East had themselves inoculated with Sinopharm vaccine.

Roque also said that it took months for Duterte to finally get his jab using Sinopharm because of the recent Chinese donation.

"That changed is the fact that the EUA has been grossly delayed, and that’s why the President, when the Chinese government donated, opted to have his vaccination," he said.

After Duterte's inoculation, Roque said the President did not experience any adverse reaction. Celerina Monte/DMS